What scripture was once used to justify racism and/or slavery?

Question

What was the misreading?

Answer 1

what kind of slavery are you talking about.
if you are looking to put all Christians down because of the acts of some in our history, you must remember that there was a war and there were Christians on both sides. as a matter of fact almost every one on both sides were Christian. not every one fighting for the south was fighting to keep slavery a lot of them were fighting for their own freedom.
history is a wonderful learning tool if it is used justly. much like the Bible a lot of people pick little parts for self gain and leave the rest out. we need history as a whole to truly learn from it.

Answer 2

1 - many people misread the Scripture that refers to Ham for making fun of Noah in his drunkenness.

However, Ham was not of African decent but of Arab and moved into Africa....later. Ouch!

2- The bible bids slaves to be obedient to their masters. OK.

However, Hebrews had a kinder system for slavery. Families were kept together. no molestation or rape was allowed under "Gods" law under sever penalty. Also a slaves life was equal to the owners- (eye for an eye)

Heres the clincher...after 7 years a slave was to be given the option of staying with the owner ...or leaving to live a free life!!

3- Also Cain was said to be cursed...but unlikely because his seed also gave birth to Abrams who became "blessed" by God.

Answer 3

Genesis 9:20-25 is used to justify enslaving a race of people (all descendants of Canaan are supposed to be servants of servants, according to 9:25).

The tenth commandment also implicitly allows slavery by implying that manservants and maidservants are property:
"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ***, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."
Exodus 20:17.

Exodus 21:2 says that Hebrews can be slaves too, but only for six years at a time.

If you're looking for a NT justification of slavery, try Ephesians 6:5 (it says slaves should treat masters like God)
"Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;"

Hopefully, somebody else will tackle racism.

Answer 4

google 'mark of cain'. there is no short answer to your question, but when christians need to believe something they will always find it in scripture.

[edit]

n_icoles answer is basically sound, but kinda jumbled. it wasn't that hebrew slavery was especially genial, but rather that the kind of slavery developed in the american colonies from the seventeenth century on was particularly savage. lifelong slavery without manumission was the exception rather than the rule in the ancient world, and racially-based slavery was almost unknown.

(the helots were race slaves until epaminondas - but the idea of racially slavery apalled most of the other greek nations).

Answer 5

None justify it anymore than claiming that being an Aryan gives you the justification to kill everyone else. Read the book, then you just might understand a bit about it.

Answer 6

not only is it a punishment supposedly delivered on the descendants of Ham in the OT, the NT endorses it implicitly when Paul says "masters, be good to your slaves".

Answer 7

I don't know but it was organised Christian religion that perpetrated the worst atrocities during the slave trade especially on West Indian plantations, the hypocrites